Albania Under The Bulgarian Empire - First Bulgarian Empire

First Bulgarian Empire

The formation of the Bulgarian state as a coordinated effort of Bulgars and Slavs under Khan Asparukh in 681 determined the political doctrine of the new state — incorporation of the Slavic tribes in the Balkans under the Bulgar rulers. The major successes over the Byzantines during the reign of Krum enabled the Slavic expansion to the south-west. In the 840s most of what is now Albania and Macedonia were annexed by Bulgaria ruled by Presian and his kavkhan (first minister) Isbul. After the Christianization of Bulgaria in the mid 9th century under Presian's son and successor, Boris I, many towns in southern and eastern Albania such as Devol, Belgrad or Glavinitsa became major cultural centres. That area including western Macedonia became the second cultural centre of the Bulgarian Empire under the influence of the Ohrid Literary School. That region was known under the name Kutmichevitsa. Around 896 the new and energetic Bulgarian ruler Simeon I seized more than 30 fortresses around Dyrrhachium, the only major town in Byzantine hands, but could not take the town itself. Dyrrhachium was captured in the second half of the 10th century by Emperor Samuil. In 996 Samuil appointed the noble Byzantine captive Ashot for governor of the town who later escaped to Constantinople. In 1005 the Byzantines managed to recapture Dyrrhachium after its new governor John Chryselios handed it over in exchange for the title of patrician for himself and his sons. In an attempt to recover following the disastrous defeat of the Bulgarian army in the battle of Kleidion (1014), Emperor Ivan Vladislav of Bulgaria launched an attack on Dyrrhachium but was killed in the battle marking the end of the First Empire. Resistance in separate fortresses in Albania continued until 1019 led by one of Samuil's generals Ibatzes.